


Not-So Chance Meeting

by mizface



Series: Stuff of Legends [1]
Category: due South
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-04
Updated: 2012-02-04
Packaged: 2017-10-30 14:58:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/332990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizface/pseuds/mizface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fraser looked at him closely, and Ray wondered what he saw.  Did he notice Ray’s pale skin, blue eyes and spiky dark-blond hair, his lean form or long fingers?  Or did he just see the ears, clashing with the obvious traces of humanity in his features, and forget the rest?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not-So Chance Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Written in part as a response to a mini-reverse bang for the dS-C6D big bang in 2011.

Ray paced outside the building, still warring with himself as to what to do. Not that he had a choice, which rankled him even more than the assignment itself. Finally, he went to the door, grumbling under his breath.

He felt the unmistakable tingle of magic as he crossed the threshold, and stopped just inside the door as he saw two guards approach. Ray refrained from rolling his eyes as he waited, hands obviously away from the short sword sheathed at his side.

An officious-looking Cleric came out of a side room, and Ray reached up slowly to lower the hood of his black cloak. The reaction he got was entirely unsurprising – the briefest hint of surprise, followed by disdain as soon the man spotted the slight points on his ears. Ray had seen that look more times than he could count, on both Human and Elven faces. It’s not like he’d _chosen_ to be born a half-breed, but that didn’t stop folk from making him feel like an outsider, no matter where he was.

“Guild sent me,” he growled out, impatient.

The Cleric’s look got even more sour, but he nodded and made a gesture that had the guards letting Ray through. 

“This way,” the man said, turning and moving down the hall without waiting to see if Ray would follow.

The corridor was long and poorly lit, only half the sconces even holding torches. Like the gods cared. If Erevan Illesere, patron god of thieves and Ray’s personal favorite, wasn’t so greedy as to begrudge his followers basic comforts, why would one dedicated to Good have a problem with it?

They stopped at a heavy wooden door. The Cleric opened it and gestured for Ray to go ahead; apparently, this was as far as his escort went.

Once inside, Ray heard a click as a lock was set. He laughed, then eyed the door, looking it over and finding a surprisingly complicated mechanism for a room as far into the building as this. Still, he was pretty sure he could pick it if he had to.

Ray figured he was in for a long wait, if the Cleric’s attitude was anything to go by, but he was mistaken. He’d just finished scoping out the room – only one entrance/exit, no secret doors but there was a tiny panel behind a tapestry that was either a secret compartment or a way to listen in on the goings on in the room – when he heard the lock click. 

Ray moved to a corner, flipping his hood up and shrouding himself in shadow as he watched a Human enter the room. The man was tall, with dark hair neatly combed, and armor shined to a mirror-like polish. His tunic was clean and if it had ever had a tear, it had been mended so neatly as to be invisible. The red leaf on his chest marked him as a Paladin. Ray suppressed a groan. He’d been hoping for a Fighter, or at worst a Fighter-Cleric. A full-out Paladin meant this mission was almost doomed before it began.

The man spotted him almost immediately, turning with military precision to face him. Ray steeled himself and stepped into the light, but kept his hood up for the moment.

As expected, the Paladin immediately introduced himself.

“My name is Fraser,” he said, a polite smile on his face. “I understand we’re to work together.” When Ray didn’t say anything, Fraser’s brow furrowed. “And you are…”

Might as well get it over with. “I answer to Ray,” he said, lowering his hood. 

Fraser looked at him closely, and Ray wondered what he saw. Did he notice Ray’s pale skin, blue eyes and spiky dark-blond hair, his lean form or long fingers? Or did he just see the ears, clashing with the obvious traces of humanity in his features, and forget the rest?

Ray was sure he could feel the disapproval rolling off the man. He narrowed his eyes, moving to get into the Paladin’s space. “What is it?”

Fraser glared at Ray, taking a step back. “I don’t know that I can work with you,” he finally answered.

Ray glared right back. “Don’t tell me you’re one of _those_ ,” he spat out.

Fraser seemed taken aback, which was probably just an act, so Ray didn’t let it bother him. “One of what?” 

“It’s the ears, right?” Ray said, starting to pace. “In your face proof that I’m not completely Human. Which means I’m not good enough. And the fact that I’m even partly Elvish probably makes it worse in your eyes.”

The Paladin actually looked flustered at that, reaching up to rub his gloved thumb over his eyebrow.

“It isn’t that at all,” he said. “I have no objections to your race.”

Ray tilted his head. “Then what’s the problem?” he asked.

Fraser’s eyes widened, and he gave Ray a look of disbelief. “It’s your profession I take issue with,” he said matter-of-factly. When Ray didn’t react, Fraser went on. “I’m a Paladin. You’re a _thief_. I won’t break the law, and I don’t know that I can work with someone who does so by choice on a regular basis.”

“You _can_ work with me, you just don’t want to,” Ray replied with a humorless chuckle. “And it’s not like working with you will do my rep any good.” 

“You mean that you feel the same way that I do?” Fraser asked, eyebrow raised. 

Ray let the fact that Fraser’d ignored the first part of what was said slide for the moment. “So?”

“I’m just trying to understand why you would agree to this in the first place.”

“I have my reasons,” Ray answered. And he did. But not ones he felt any need to share with anyone, let alone a goody two-shoes like Fraser. “As in, _my_ reasons,” he emphasized, “not for anyone else to know. You never hear the phrase knowledge is power?”

“Ah. So your silence is a way to keep a grasp on your personal power and control over the situation. Does the possibility of us working together make you that uncomfortable?”

“Oh, like you aren’t wanting out of it just as bad.” Ray ran a hand through his hair, making the spiky blond mess even more unkempt. “Listen, how about we just stop talking about this. You’re only here because you were ordered to, and no way would you even question or refuse an order. You don’t like me, I don’t like you, but we’re stuck together. So we go there, we do that thing, come back here safe and sound and then we can go our separate ways and forget this ever happened. Sound good?”

“There need to be some ground rules.”

“Of course you’d say that,” Ray said, rolling his eyes. “You’re a _Paladin_. Rules are like your best friend.” When Fraser didn’t say anything, Ray waved his hand in a _get on with it_ motion. 

“I’ll need you to be honest with me.” Ray started to protest, but Fraser held up a hand so he waited, arms crossed over his chest.

“I will endeavor not to press for any information not relevant to this hunt,” Fraser went on, “but I can’t have you hiding things from me. It could get us both killed.”

“Your word on that?”

“Of course.”

Ray considered that. It wasn’t a trick; if a Paladin promised something, they stuck to it. “Fair enough,” he said with a nod. “But I reserve the right to tell you to fuck off if you get too personal.”

“Fair enough,” Fraser echoed, brow furrowed. Ray would bet he didn’t like the swearing. Tough.

“And you’ll follow my lead?” Fraser asked.

“When it makes sense. You never know when we’re gonna end up somewhere that’s more my kind of place,” Ray answered with a smirk. He casually leaned against the wall. “Best offer you’re going to get.”

Fraser looked Ray up and down, assessing him, and Ray held himself in place, still looking unbothered despite the fact that the Paladin’s intense blue gaze made him want to squirm.

“All right,” Fraser finally said. “We have a deal.”


End file.
